Extensions of four non-executive members to the Regional Health and Social Care Board

Health Minister Michelle O’Neill today announced the extensions of the terms of appointments of Robert Gilmore, Stephen Leach, Brendan McKeever, and John Mone as Non-Executive Members to the Regional Health and Social Care Board (HSCB) for a further 12 months from 7 April 2016 to 6 April 2017.

These extensions carry a time commitment of five days per month and attract an annual remuneration of £9,004.

The Regional Health and Social Care Board was established by Section 7 (1) of the Health and Social Care (Reform) Act (NI) 2009 and replaced the four Health and Social Services Councils. The role of the HSCB is to arrange or ‘commission’ a comprehensive range of modern and effective health and social services for the 1.7million people who live in the north of Ireland, to work with the Health and Social Care Trusts that directly provide services to people to ensure that these meet their needs and to deploy and manage its annual funding from the Executive – currently £4billion – to ensure that all services are safe and sustainable.

The board of the HSCB is made up of five Executive Directors, including the Chief Executive, a Non-Executive Chair and seven Non-Executive Directors. 

The extensions have been made in accordance with the Code of Practice issued by the Commissioner for Public Appointments for NI. A selection panel, which included an Independent Assessor, as required under the Commissioner’s Code, considered the suitability of all candidates. The final decision on the appointment rested with the Minister.   

Notes to editors: 

1. Mr Robert Gilmore lives in Co Down and is a self employed Management Consultant and a Public Sector Advisor and former Local Authority Chief Executive. He is a Non-Executive Director of the Health and Social Care Board since April 2009 and was previously a lay member of the Southern Local Commissioning Group (Health and Social Services). He is an Independent Board Member of the Department for Regional Development. He was formerly a Director in a Local Strategy Partnership, a Governor in a Further and Higher Education Institute and a Commissioner in the Local Government Staff Commission.
2. Mr Stephen Leach lives in North Down. He is a retired senior civil servant and was Chair of the Criminal Justice Board from 2000 to 2009. He was appointed as a Parole Commissioner in November 2009.
3. Mr Brendan McKeever lives in Derry and is currently involved, on a part time sessional basis with Queens University and the University of Ulster on user and disability related issues. Previously he was a Council Member for eight years with the Social Care Council (NISCC) - the regulatory body for social work and social care. He was also a founder member and full time Facilitator with the Family Information Group, a voluntary organisation which raised issues impacting on families of disabled children, between 1997 and 2008. Mr McKeever has also written extensively on disability and user issues.
4. Mr John Mone lives in Middletown, Co Armagh. Until his retirement in July 2007, Mr Mone had been Executive Director of Nursing at the former Craigavon Area Hospital HSS Trust and former Director of Healthcare and Nursing and Executive Director on the Trust Board of the former Armagh and Dungannon HSS Trust. He is presently a member of the Board of Governors of St John’s Primary School and a member of the NI Research Ethics Committee.
5. Appointments to the Health and Social Care Board are made with the approval of the Health Minister. There are no specific qualifications for appointment. Each person is appointed to act in a personal capacity and not to represent any particular interest or group.
6. All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, the Commissioner for Public Appointments for NI requires the political activity of appointees to be published.  All appointees have declared they have not engaged in any political activity in the last five years.
7. Media enquiries to DoH Press Office on 028 9052 0579. Out of office hours please contact the Duty Press Officer via pager number 076 9971 5440 and your call will be returned. Follow us on Twitter @healthdpt

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